The Kale Porteous Memorial Splash Park opened in Bow Island on Saturday / Photo: CHAT News Today

By Meghan Cobb

'everyone has a piece of him in their hearts'

Kale Porteous Memorial Splash Park gives Bow Island residents another way to beat the heat

Jul 17, 2022 | 5:56 PM

BOW ISLAND, AB – The Kale Porteous Memorial Splash Park officially opened in Bow Island on Saturday by welcoming hundreds of people to get their feet wet.

Kale was 11 when he was killed in a 2018 farming accident. His death devastated the tight-knit community that wanted to memorialize his legacy. Last year, the Troy Loney Charitable Golf Association held a tournament to fund the project.

“When Kale passed we felt we needed to do something,” said Ryan Thurston, co-chair of the fundraising committee. “We set a goal for $400,000 never imagining that we’d be able to reach that, we were hoping to get matching grants and we blew that number up. It was really inspiring.”

The golf tournament raised $585,000 in the largest single fundraiser ever held in Bow Island. Everyone involved credits the role Kale’s family plays in the community.

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“The impact the Laidlaw and Porteous family has on this community really spoke to everyone and everybody was just really excited to help,” Thurston said.

The decision to build a splash park was made with input from Kale’s parents, Karla (Laidlaw) and Garth Porteous, who wanted to build something all the children in the community could enjoy.

“We wanted it to be something that 11 year olds could smile using and would bring more happiness to the town,” said Karla Porteous.

Members of the extended Laidlaw and Porteous families were at Saturday’s grand opening, Kale’s siblings turned on the water to officially launch the park. It was a moment three years’ in the making that showcased how much the community supported the project.

“It’s kind of remarkable,” said Karla Porteous. “It’s the way Bow Island seemed to work from the beginning of this project to now. They’ve supported it without hesitation throughout the entire process.”

For Kale’s parents, being able to see so many children enjoying the water was the day’s main take away.

“Watching all the kids, all the smiles, just running freely and having fun,” said Garth Porteous. “It’s huge for us.”

“Knowing they’re all remembering Kale in some way by being here today,” added Karla Porteous. “Everyone has a little piece of him in their hearts.”

The park is designed to represent Kale’s life and interests. One half is a hockey rink to show his dedication to the sport, and the other half has an agriculture theme because he was so involved in the family’s ranch. The two are divided by the South Saskatchewan river.

“He would have loved it,” said Rheanna Timinski, Kale’s cousin. “So it’s amazing to see all the kids embrace it the way he would have.”

The Porteous family says everyone in the community played a role in the project. A tree with names of donors engraved on the leaves stands next to the park. Branches had to continually be added to accomodate all the donations.

“Legacy is a good word,” said Mayor Gordon Reynolds. “It’s certainly a memorial to Kale, but it’s also a tribute to his family.”

Mayor Reynolds says while Kale’s death is a tragedy that touched everyone in the community, it has been inspiring to see how people stepped up to help at the time of need.

“That tells me the future for our community is strong,” said Reynolds. “The spirit of the community is definitely strong. [The park] is a result of that.”